On the other side of that blank LinkedIn box on your screen is the message-weary candidate annoyed at receiving yet another inquiry about whether they’d be keen to learn more about a "perfect opportunity at XYZ Inc."

Among all the competitive LinkedIn clutter, how do you stand out from the crowd?

We’ve analyzed blogs from recruiters and hiring managers, and we've successfully recruited passive candidates from all over the Internet to bring you the top tips for writing messages to get the attention—and the time—of the candidates you really want.

Maybe you have your own tried-and-true methods. Perhaps you have templates that seem to be working? Is it because you’re smashing through 100 candidates a week in the belief "it’s a number’s game" or that if you throw enough mud at the wall something’s bound to stick?

Far and wide, the emails that get the attention of highly sought-after candidates are those that are incredibly personalized. This takes time, but your success rate will be much higher. Choose quality over quantity.

The number one frustration of candidates targeted through LinkedIn is messages that show the employer or hiring manager hasn’t done his or her homework:

Check their background: Look for any shared histories between your organization (or your client) and the candidate. You will look very stupid if you approach someone who has already worked with people in that organization.

Check their strengths and skills: For example, just because they did events management the year after they finished high school doesn’t mean that’s what they want to do in the future. You are wasting the candidates’ time and your time by pitching roles they have no interest in doing.

The ideal-tailored message is 150–250 words. Less than 150 words and you risk coming across as if you don’t care enough. More than 250 words and the candidate won’t read it or will assume you don’t value their time. Keep it simple and straightforward.

As with any well-crafted job ad, the best LinkedIn messages are those that focus on the candidate. Show your familiarity with their career history by highlighting the skills and experience that stood out to you.

Don’t launch into too much detail about the opportunity. Rather, paint a picture of the person’s suitability within your organization. "You’ll be working . . . ," "You’d be responsible for . . . ," "It would give you the perfect opportunity to. . . .

The first sentence is your first impression and invaluable in grabbing the attention of the passive candidate as quickly as possible. Begin with a sentence talking directly to them or about them. Save the other information for later.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to show that you have spent the time looking into the candidate’s background. This alone will put you in the top 5% of emails received.

Mention specific things about the candidate that caught your attention, such as, "I noticed you have taken on three project management roles in the past four years, which suggests to me that you may have a desire to expand your skills and oversee a bigger team . . . "

If you’re serious about the candidate, show it. Suggest a time to catch up within the next seven days and use actual names of the days, rather than "sometime this week." For example, "If you’re interested, would you like to catch up either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning?"

Not mentioning that you have previously sent an email looks like you couldn’t be bothered to remember or to personalize the email again. If the candidate was seriously interested in your opportunity, but just didn’t have time to get back to you, they will remember you.

Coming across like you don’t care could lose that opportunity. Use something along the lines of "Just sending you another email" or "I contacted you a few weeks ago" as your openers.

There’s nothing more awkward for a candidate than getting a phone call from a potential employer in the middle of a workday. You have just interrupted their flow. If they are interested, they can’t say it on the spot. Give them the space to choose when to speak to you.

Far and away the number one way of standing out to a potential recruit is to organize an introduction through someone else who knows them. LinkedIn Graph is great for this. Use your networks to get as close and personal as possible before making first contact.

These aren’t just good ideas—they are tried and tested rules and processes that will make you stand out to your next ideal candidate.

—Paul Slezak is a cofounder of RecruitLoop, an online recruitment marketplace based in Australia and San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter at @Paul_Slezak‎.

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Really, this boils down to "remember that you are recruiting a human being." It sounds obvious (and it is!), but if people were actually treating candidates like human beings, there wouldn't be so many of these articles.